1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to assemblage-of-a-gripwheel-handle-apparatus as attached upon a driver-device so-that, by utilization of the apparatus, the driver-device can be more continuously actuated and handled.
2. Description of Prior Art
Driver-devices, of a type as like that of hand operated ratchet drivers, are designed to eliminate both the need for disengaging from a fastener to return for another leg of spinning the driver""s handle and to eliminate the need for reconfiguring the grip to begin application of another spin of the driver""s handle, disengaging and grip reconfiguring being operations necessary for rotation of a fastener in absence of a ratcheting mechanism. By eliminating the aforementioned operations, the time saved can be applied to just rocking the driver""s handle back an forth with the hand, thereby increasing the number of rotational cycles and speeding rotation of the fastener. However, due to the fact that many fasteners are not snug enough to generate the frictional resistance required to cause the ratchet mechanism to ratchet, the opposing hand must, at times, be used to supply the additional frictional resistance. When a means is not provided to keep the hand poised in readiness while waiting to apply the resistance, applied only during return strokes, the hand must continually reconfigure on each successive cycle to correct apply the added resistance, thus consuming much of the time saved by using the ratchet driver. If it becomes necessary for the fastner""s spin to be reversed for any reason, the user must stop, reset the ratchet mechanism for reverse, spin the fastener, then stop, reset the ratchet mechanism for forward, and resume operation; the resetting of the mechanism wastes an additional period of time. Furthermore, since the hand which is already positioned on the side of the driver""s shank to apply the additional resistance xe2x80x9ccould xe2x80x9d, but being it lacks an efficient means to engage the shank and therefore xe2x80x9ccannotxe2x80x9d effectively continue spinning the fastener, the return cycle is left unproductive ad its potential is not fully realized. In addition, when a-hand-grips-the-shank-from-a-location-on-side-the-shank-to-spin-the-shank, it is not quite in a spacial orientation such that it can rotate a distance equal to the distance rotated by a hand gripping-on-a-driver""s-handle-at-rear-of-the-driver, a rotating ratio of two to three. Therefore a driver would benefit from a gripwheel-handle-apparatus-as-upon-a-driver-device-assemblage-method which does result in the formation of an apparatus that enables a user""s hand utilizing-the-apparatus to act a role of clutch, like a second ratchet mechanism, which normally would be necessary inside the driver in order to have the driver""s shank move easily within the hand to achieve an alternate two handed continuous spin of the shank. Having had assembled-a-grip-wheel-apparatus-upon-a-driver-device using such method would result in enabling a hand utilizing the apparatus to be correctly positioned to manipulate the shank as needed, thus freeing-space-inside-the-driver so permitting installation of, and enabling both the driver and the apparatus together to offer as platform to support a means for stepping up the movement of the shank relative the movement of a hand which, while positioned along side the shank, spins the shank. Finally, since rocking the driver""s rear-handle back and forth makes it difficult to hold the driver steady upon a fastener, the driver would benefit from an efficient means to guide the fore-portion of the driver against the work while operating the driver.
It is therefore an object of the invention to equip a driver-device, a device having both a handle and shank extending perpendicularly from the handle, with an auxiliary handle apparatus, called herein a gripwheel, used as both a second-handle, for holding and spinning the driver""s shank, and as a guide means, used to aid in guidance of both the driver and a second operating hand. The apparatus to be assembled is comprised of two separate positioned, shaped, utilized, and functioning halves, a hand utilized, discretely-independently-rotatable, slip-ring-type hand held guide half, and a rotatable, hand-operated, driver-shank""s, drive-means half called a drive-wheel herein. And both halves are xe2x80x9cassembledxe2x80x9d upon a driver-device-of-the-type-as-described-which has -both-handle-and-shank-extending-perpendicularly-from-the-handle, but to describe further the-driver-device and the-assemblage, the driver device""s handle is also turnable-the-shank and the assemblage of the halves, being as that are-the-apparatus, is accomplished through way of utilizing the method of assemblage, which is the invention, prescribed herein, to enable a one portion of a hand grasping upon the guide half of the apparatus to direct the driver""s shank toward the work and also, through way of gripping upon the guide, secure the one hand portion both linearly fixed relative plus rotatable relative the shank as axis, thereby positioning an unencumbered second portion of the hand to simultaneously, at will, grasp for holding or grasp for spinning the hand-operated drive-wheel of the apparatus; and in addition, through the grasp of the drive-wheel also enable the drive-wheel to (1) be means for the hand""s second portion to aid in guidance of the driver; (2) be means for the hand""s second portion to supply additional frictional resistance for augmenting ratcheting of the driver when the driver is a ratchet type applied to loose-fitted-work; (3) be means for the hand""s second portion to reverse the spin of the driver""s shank without having to reset the ratcheting direction of the driver and; (4) be means for the hand""s second portion to continue productive spinning of the shank during the opposing hand""s unproductive driver-handle return strokes. To accomplish the aforementioned results the said guide and drive-wheel are structured as two separate shaped, positioned, utilized, and functioning halves, sized such that the distance from at lease one axially-parallel-outward-surface of the guide to-a-line-to-be true axis of the guide, the line being through-the-guide is essentially the same as the distance from the overall axially parallel outward surface of the drive-wheel to true axis of the drive-wheel, the driver-device""s shank to be used in the position of and collinear with the true axis as running perpendicularly through both components, and both components are sized plus positioned relative each other so when placed in line about the driver""s shank in the position of true axis, a hand is able to grasp both components simultaneously, and the hand-held-guide""s shank-parallel outward-surface is shaped to enable holding in position on the guide any one portion of a hand grasping on the-shank-parallel-outward-surface of the said guide, while the drive-wheel""s shank-parallel-outward-surface is shaped for enabling ease of simultaneously, along with the said holding-of-the-guide-by-a-one-portion-of-said-hand, having the wheel intermittently gripped, held, spun, and released by the grasp of any remaining-not-utilized-on-the-guide second portion of the same said hand; and additionally, the drive-wheel being separate as an independently enacted half of the apparatus, should be of a type shaped with bluntly curved surfaces substantially uniformly symmetrical about the axis of the wheel, so enabling the wheel to rotate within the grasp of such a releasing, not-utilize-on-the-guide, second portion of the said hand, so that the, not-utilized-on-the-guide, second portion of the said handle is able to remain in position for gripping the drive-wheel, and yet also is able to rotate about the drive-wheel near or lightly touching the drive-wheel""s surface, due to anchoring through linkage with said hand""s one portion which remains utilizing the guide, the guide in addition being discretely independently free-to-be-spun. The handle apparatus""s method of assemblage so-as-attached-upon-a-driver-device comprises having the slip ring type hand held guide attached-about-a-driver-device""s-shank by being slipped into place xe2x80x9cloosely discretely, axially rotatably, girdling-the-said-driver""s-shank so as free from axially-rotatably-engaging the driver""s shank, the shank used as axis for the guide""s rotation by running perpendicularly through the guide, the guide linearly retained in the guide""s location-about-the-shank, the location being adjacent-in-line-forward the drive wheel half the apparatus, which-also-rings-the-shank, the guide thereby being nearer the shank""s work end than the wheel, the guide being as aforesaid girding, also being discretely independently free-to-be-spun unlimited in distance and/or direction relative the driver""s shank as axis for the spin and relative the apparatus""s drive-wheel being separate utilized as in that independently enacted while half the apparatus, and in-order-to-be-as afore-described the guide has the shank inserted xe2x80x9cthrough a bore through the guide, the bore larger in diameter than the shank and piercing through the guidexe2x80x9d, the shank inserted to a distance through the guide""s bore so rearward of in fine with the shank""s work-end, such that the shank is running perpendicularly lengthwise through the guide""s bore, and the shank is running perpendicularly-lengthwise-through-the-guide""s-bore either by being inserted xe2x80x9calonexe2x80x9d perpendicularly through the guide""s bore, xe2x80x9cthe shank Immediate the guidexe2x80x9d, or by being inserted perpendicularly together with, and as running lengthwise perpendicularly through, another component inserted through the guide""s bore, the guide""s bore as girding the other component at the same location lengthwise on the other component as where the shank is running perpendicularly lengthwise through the other component, xe2x80x9cthus the shank is still, as afore-described, running perpendicularly lengthwise through the guidexe2x80x9d; and additionally the apparatus""s method of assemblage comprises having the drive-wheel-half-the-apparatus-attached-about-a-driver-device""s-shank xe2x80x9cringing so axially rotatably encircling utilizing a manner of xe2x80x9cengaging to spinxe2x80x9d the said driver""s shank, the shank as being perpendicularly running through both the drive-wheel and the guide, while the shank also is used at/collinear with axis for the wheel""s rotationxe2x80x9d, the wheel as being linearly retained in Its location about the shank, the location being adjacent-in-line-rearward the guide-half-the-apparatus and further away from the shank""s work-end than the guide which-also-girdles-the-shank, the wheel thereby being forward the fore-portion of the driver""s handle and nearer the fore-portion than the guide, the driver""s handle having always been a part of the driver extending from plus engaging with the driver""s shank-portion emanating out from opposite-the-side-of-the-apparatus-from-the-side-facing-the-shank""s-work-end, the handle having been for spinning the driver""s shank, the wheel being as, aforesaid-engaging, also being such that will spin the shank when spun while the guide is being such that will spin discretely independent the wheel and shank when spun, thus the driver""s handle is in line rearward the drive-wheel, the drive-wheel is in turn, in line juxtaposing rearward the guide, and the guide is in turn, in line rearward the work-end of the shank and both the gripwheel halves, the guide and wheel, are mounted advantageously positioned near enough each other between the fore-portion of the driver""s handle and the driver-shank""s work end, such that a single hand is able to simultaneously grasp both the guide and drive-wheel utilizing them as bi-longitudinally supporting halves. And at least one retainer is placed, a retainer in front of the hand-held-guide""s side which faces the shank""s work end, to help retain the components in assembled operating position. The manner of the wheel""s engagement with the shank to spin the shank can be in either one of two ways, one by having the wheel ring the shank so as to encircle xe2x80x9cfixedxe2x80x9d to the shank or two by having the wheel ring the shank so as to encircle xe2x80x9crotatable relative the shankxe2x80x9d, the shank being in the position of and collinear with axis for the wheel""s rotation therefore the shank is inserted perpendicularly as xe2x80x9cloosely-fittedxe2x80x9d through a bore through the wheel, the shank""s insertion through the bore being either as xe2x80x9cimmediatexe2x80x9d the wheel or by way of running perpendicularly lengthwise through another component inserted through the drive-wheel""s bore, but the wheel still engaging the shank by also being dressed to engage the shank through linkage by way of a drive-train to spin the shank. The means utilized to effect the drive-wheel""s engagement with the shank being as can be of any type including 1, having the shank""s outside surface expanded and reshaped to form the drive-wheel component, by 2, dressing the inner surface of a bore through the drive-wheel with means which causes the wheel to grip the shank""s surface so that the drive-wheel can have the shank inserted through the bore with the means causing the shank to be fixed to the wheel, or by 3, having a geared-internal-drive-train attached to the wheel and linking the wheel such that engaging the shank as like when the wheel engages by the manner in which the wheel is rotatable relative the shank, for example, a train as comprised of a loosely girdling the shank beveled-driving-gear centered and filed to the drive-wheel""s internal face, the drive-gear""s teeth engaging a beveled-idler-gear able to spin being mounted at its center about an axle affixed to the driver handle""s fore-portion, the same beveled-idler-gear having its teeth engaging a step-up-beveled-gear able to spin being mounted at its center about an axle affixed to the driver handle""s fore-portion, the step-up beveled-gear engaging a ringing the shank while engaging the shank driven-gear; and the aforementioned gearing arrangement can be repeated in bilaterally symmetrical fashion on the shank""s opposite side. Such a drive-train would be for increasing the speed of the shank""s spin relative the speed of the drive-wheel""s spin, thus compensating for any difference in the ability of one hand to spin the drive-wheel versus the other hand to spin the driver""s rear-handle, a difference due to spacial orientation. The manner of guide""s being as discretely independently freely-able-to-be-spun, unlimited in distance and direction, including relative both the driver""s shank and the apparatus""s drive,wheel, can be in either one of two ways, one way being having a bore through the guide sized so that the shank can be directly inserted loosely fitted through the bore, the shank as xe2x80x9cimmediatexe2x80x9d of the guide, thereby the shank acts as axle for the guide which, being also as a discretely separate component, is thus discretely-independently freely-able-to-be-spun unlimited in distance and direction relative the driver""s shank and the apparatus""s drive-wheel or the guide can also be discretely independently freely-able-to-be-spun-relative-the-shank-and-drive-wheel by having another component inserted loosely fitted through the guide""s bore, the other component in turn ringing the shank at the same location relative the length of the other component as where the other component is inserted through the guide""s bore, the guide thus encircles the other component yet, consecutively, also encircles the shank, the guide being freely-able-to-be-spun-including-relative-both-the-shank-and-the-wheel. As for example, the bore could be sized so that an extension of the drive-wheel""s hub can be inserted loosely fitted into the guide""s bore, the drive-wheel""s hub, as inserted through the bore, would then act as axle for the guide, the guide thus, as a discretely separate component, is thereby discretely independently freely-able-to-be-spun relative the hub; however the shank would, in turn, be inserted running lengthwise perpendicularly through the hub, the insertion-of-the-shank through the hub being such that at the same location relative the length of the hub as the hub is running through the guide, thus the guide as a discretely separate component is enabled to be discretely-independently freely-able-to-be-spun relative the hub, relative the shank-that""s-running-through-the-hub, and relative the drive-wheel which is the other-half-of-the-apparatus separate from the guide but unitized with the hub. Although the manner-of assembling-the-guide as attached-upon-a-driver-device can be in either one of two ways, the means to effect the assemblage as such can be only one, that is by having the guide rotationally unengaged, not engaged, either by direct and/or by indirect means, to the shank as axis for the guide""s rotation.
As described heretofore and as further described herein, the Invention, an assemblage-method of an auxiliary handle apparatus, a gripwheel, as-attached-upon-driver-device provides the driver-device with a second handle that is both a guide and a second drive-means combined in a manner so forming an apparatus for handling the said driver more efficiently, augmenting operation of the said driver, and increasing the distance the driver""s shank can be turned during application cycles. The apparatus""s capability of providing such as afore-described and as described further here is due to having the two separate yet bilaterally supporting halves assembled as in the manner herein prescribed attached upon a driver-device, the forward-half-the-handle-apparatus, being the slip-ring-type hand held guide, mounted-such-that-to-spin-discretely-independently-freely-about-the-driver""s-shank but while also situated as described further herein to follow, and the rear-half-the-apparatus, being the hand operated drive-wheel, mounted-to-engage-the-shank-for-holding-or-spinning-the-shank but also while situated as described further herein to follow, both the halves securely positioned location-fixed-about/as-relative-a-driver-device""s-shank while configured to be separately yet simultaneously utilized by a singe hand.
A preferred method of operating the apparatus while assembled upon a driver-device would be to have a user clutch the slip ring type hand-held-guide between a thumb and at least one finger of a hand to direct the driver""s shank against work and, as needed, simultaneously bear down with the free portions of the same hand to grasp and hold or grasp and spin the shank engaged, hand-operated drive-wheel for holding or spinning the shank. The grasping and holding or grasping and spinning may be timed to occur during return strokes of the user""s other hand which operates the driver""s handle. Clutching the hand-held-guide by a portion of a hand to guide the shank also serves to hold the unencumbered portions of the same hand in a position to utilize the drive-wheel. The assembly in whole form is effective for augmenting the ratcheting of a ratchet driver applied to loose fitted work, via grasping and holding of the hand operated dive-wheel, when the holding is timed to occur during return strokes of the driver""s handle. But additionally, the apparatus can be used with any driver-device fitted with the invention, to further spin the driver""s shank during application cycles through spinning the hand operated drive-wheel on normally unproductive return-stroke-periods of the driver""handle.